I grew up in the church. Baptized, confirmed, married, and involved. I endeavor to worship God with my whole life, but I highly value the practice of corporate worship. Every week, until two months ago, Chris and I would wake up the inhabitants of our home, get ready, and go to church. We would worship … More Reimagine. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 7
So—I used to enjoy baking fun gluten free treats often. I haven’t done it as much in recent years (except gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies because—duh). Anyway, I must’ve gotten bitten by the COVID-19 “do-something-bug” because I wanted to reconnect with my baking roots. Like—today. So—I decided to make a gluten free almond cherry … More Reconnect. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 6
Earlier this week during a staff meeting, my pastor and friend, David encouraged us to resist the urge to judge our colleagues and congregation members. He was referencing the standard practice of viewing our own perspective as more holy or Christlike than another’s and he was asking us to acknowledge that we have people on … More Rest. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 5
There are several activities I’ve adopted in my weekly routine that restore my soul. Some of those are reading the same passage of scripture over and over, sitting in complete quiet and meditating on the person of God, writing a note to a friend, laughing hysterically with my husband, and taking a nap. Now, more … More Restore. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 4
I was briefly meditating on Psalm 121 this afternoon after stretching myself a little too far mentally and emotionally. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when things feel a little (or a lot) out of my control, I do one of two things—I either lash out or withdraw. Today I started to do a … More Remember. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 3
Dirt sells. Scandal sells. Sex sells. Conflict sells. Why do those things sell over beauty, restoration, wholeness, and reconciliation? Truthfully, I suspect that what sells is a small indication of what our hearts seek—what my heart seeks—dirt. Maybe it’s simply that dirt is easily accessible and beauty is more difficult to come by. We have … More Reach. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 2
Last week I was grieving. It might seem insignificant, but I had been looking forward to some special events for a while. Connecting in person is incredibly life-giving for me, so you might imagine that a loss of in-person connection has been life-draining. As a church staff, we were scheduled to retreat together for a … More Rewrite. Hope*Writer Writing Challenge Day 1
